Strand crimping



Jan. 27, 1970 y R. K. STANLEY 3,491,420

STRAND GRIMPING Filed oct. 17, 1967 2 sneetssheet 1 R. K. STANLEY 3,491,420

STRAND CRIMPING Jan. 27, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 17. 1967 Maa-wma 05597 l( STA/WH United States Patent O 3,491,420 STRAND CRIMPING Robert K. Stanley, Media, Pa., assignor to Techniservice U.S. Cl. 28-72.14 5 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to stutfer crimping of textile material, lusually in the form of a relatively coherent strand or the like. It provides for fluid cooling of the contacting surfaces of the feed rolls of stuffer crimpers, thereby enabling preheated material t0 be stulfer crimped without further raising the temperature thereof, which preferably maintained essentially constant so long as the textile material is under crimping compression.

The forcible stuffing of textile material into a chamber wherein it is crimped under compression tends to increase its temperature, and such localized temperature increase may be deleterious to the strand composition or may impair the crimping process or crimped product.

My patent applications Ser. Nos. 349,338, now Patent 3,348,283 granted Oct. 24, 1967, and 650,762, led Mar. 4, 1964 and July 3, 1967, respectively, the specifications of which are incorporated herein by reference, describe and illustrate a process and apparatus for stuffer crimping preheated textile strands under adiabatic or constanttemperature conditions. The present invention improves the desired control of temperature or of heat exchange between the strand and its surroundings.

Other objects of this invention, together with means and methods for attaining the various objects, will be apparent from the following description and the laccompanying diagrams.

FIG. l is a schematic representation of the stuifer crimping of textile material, with which the present invention is useful;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of apparatus useful according to this invention;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of associated apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary front elevation, on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the apparatus of preceding views;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of part of the same apparatus, taken at VI-VI on FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a front sectional elevation, taken at VII-VII on FIG. 6;

AFIG. 8 is a side sectional elevation, taken at VIII- VIII on FIG. 7 and FIG. 9 is a detail sectional plan, taken at IX-IX on FIG. 7.

In general, the objects of the present invention are accomplished, in a stufler crimper for textile material, having a stuffing chamber with an entrance and an exit and having a pair of nip rolls juxtaposed to the chamber entrance to feed thereinto textile material to be crimped, by means forming a conduit for conducting a cooling fluid into contact with the cylindrical surface of at least one, preferably both, of the feed rolls.

FIG. 1 shows, schematically, strand 10 unwinding from conical package 11 to pass through guide 12 and successive pairs of rolls 13, 13' and 15, 15 with heater bar 14 for the strand intervening between the respective pairs of rolls. Pair of nip rolls 17, 17 for feeding the strand into stuifing chamber 18 follow immediately after temp- ICC erature controller 16, which contains conventional sensing and heating means for ascertaining and, if desired, increasing the strand temperature close to the roll nip. Crimped strand 10' is wound up from the exit of the chamber onto cylindrical package 20 by grooved traversing drive roll 19.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show, in plan and side elevation, respectively, stuifer crimping apparatus according to this invention in more detail than in the preceding view. The strand is shown in FIG. 2 but is omitted from FIG. 3 in the interest of clarity. Stuffing chamber 18, shown with rectangular bore 28, and its associated parts are supported by inverted U-frame 22. Axles 27, 27' for rolls 17, 17 are journaled in opposite legs of the frame and carry at their opposite end gears 37, 37' in mesh with one another, and axle 27' carries driven pulley 29 also. Drive pulley 33, which is interconnected to the driven pulley by belt 34, is on drive shaft 32 of motor 31 mounted on the frame. Tubes 38, 38 enter the external wall of chamber 18 at the left and right, respectively, above rolls 17, 17. Front and rear flanges 18a, 18b extend downward from the bottom of the chamber to cover the adjacent faces of the respective rolls somewhat further than the nip.

FIG. 4 shows schematically means for the supply of cooling uid via tubes 38, 38', which join at line 39. Housing 41, with which line 39 communicates, is supplied with cooling fluid through tube 42 from pump 43. Gages 44 and 46 in the upstream and downstream portions of line 39, with respect to intervening regulating valve 45, indicate the pressure in housing 41 and in tubes 38, 38', respectively. Inside the housing is baffle 49 (indicated in broken lines) to assist in preventing entry of moisture or contaminants into line 39, and the housing has bleed valves 47, 47' at the bottom. Also indicated in broken lines inside the housing is cooling coil 51, which connects externally to compressor 52, forming part of a conventional heat exchanger not otherwise illustrated.

FIGS. 5 to 9 show on an enlarged scale portions of the apparatus of this invention in the vicinity of the junction of tubes 38, 38' to stuffing chamber 18, in successive front elevation, side elevation, front sectional elevation, side sectional elevation, and sectional plan views. Vents 58a, 58a are visible in front flange 18a, while like vents 58b, 58h are indicated in rear flange 18B. The vents interconnect ventilating passages 59, 59', which receive coolant fluid through tubes 38, 3-8', to the exterior near the edge of the cylindrical roll surfaces between which the strand is nipped to be stuffed into chamber 18. The respective vents are spaced about one radian of rotation past the roll nip. The Ventilating passages are only a few degrees wide in the circumferential direction along the cylindrical surfaces of the rolls and extend the entire width thereof to terminate slightly beyond the edges. The ventilating passages are lined with suitable heat-insulating material to preclude affecting the temperature of the stuffing chamber or the strand therein, which may be controlled as in my aforementioned patent applications.

=It will be understood that any appropriate cooling fluid or coolant may be used, which may be simply cool air or may be carbon dioxide, nitrogen, or other fluid that is gaseous and dry at the temperature of the strand so that liquid does not collect in the apparatus. The fluid is cooled to desired temperature, as in housing 41, and dried thereby (or otherwise) if necessary, as after having been pumped thereinto from the atmosphere or other suitable source. It then proceeds via line 39, past gages 44 and 46 and valve 45, through tubes 38, 38 into Ventilating passages 59, 59' wherein it comes into contact and cools the cylindrical surfaces of rolls 17, 17', after which it exhausts through vents 58a, 58a', 5811, 58b.

By conventional temperature-sensing means (not shown) the temperature and flow rate of the cooling fluid can be regulated in accordance with a desired strand temperature, such as a temperature to which the strand was preheated for crimping, so that the strand is neither heated nor cooled by contact with the nip rolls stuffing it into the chamber for temporary confinement therein under crimping co-mpression and possibly under a continuation of the same temperature, as prescribed in my aforementioned patent application, Of course, the rolls can be regulated to other temperatures if desired.

While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, some modifications have been suggested. Additionally, other modications may be made, as by adding, combining, or subdividing parts or steps or by substituting equivalents, while retaining at least some of the benefits and advantages of the invention, which itself is defined in the following claims.

The claimed invention:

1. Process of compressively crimping textile material in a stufer crimper having a stuing chamber with an entrance and an exit and having a pair of nip rolls juxtaposed to the chamber entrance to feed thereinto textile material to be crimped, comprising heating the textile material preparatory to being fed by and between the rolls into the chamber, and maintaining the roll temperature as low as the temperature of the preheated infed textile material, despite compressive or frictional heating of the rolls, by applying cooling fluid to the feed rolls downstream from the infeeding of the textile material.

2. Process according to claim 1, wherein the cooling fluid is maintained out of contact with the textile material.

3. Process according to claim 1, wherein the ternperature of the chamber is maintained at essentially the preheating temperature.

4. Process according to claim 1, wherein the cooling fluid is exhausted to the surrounding atmosphere after being applied to the feed rolls.

5. In stuffer crimping of textile material by frictionally feeding it by and between a pair of moving solid surfaces into a temporarily confining zone in which it is cornpressed, the improvement comprising applying an essentially dry gas as cooling fluid to the moving Solid surfaces and thereby maintaining their temperature as low as the temperature of the incoming textile material, and including the step ofy drying the cooling huid before application thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,111,740 1l/l963 Stanley 19-66 XR 2,846,7.29 8/1958 Sonnino 28-1 XR 2,862,279 12/1958 Pardon et al. 28-1 3,220,083 11/1965 Crawford et al. 28-1 3,337,930 8/1967 Aelion et al. 28--1 DORSEY NEWTON, Prim-ary Examiner UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No 3,491,420 January 27 1970 Robert K. Stanley It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shmm below:

Column l, line 17, between "which" and "pre" insert uis Signed and sealed this 6th day of April l97l.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

